News & Expert Advice

Rock salt and deicers containing calcium chloride can be harmful to your pet. Find a better alternative at the Duke Company. We offer a variety of snow/ice removal solutions, as well as snow removal and construction equipment rentals. Our customer service is known for A+ service and expert advice. If you are unsure as to what products will best serve your needs, call us.

Laura Johannes recently wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal describing what can be done to protect your pets this winter. The article states: “Ice-melt crystals…can be toxic if ingested by pets and can cause severe irritation to paws…veterinarians recommend covering paws with booties and wiping them off with a wet cloth as soon as you get back into the house. It is also important to make sure your dog has access to water if it may have ingested ice melt…as harm is more likely if a dog is dehydrated.”

Furthermore, the Wall Street Journal article states: “The small amount a dog might lick off its paws won’t cause more than drooling or vomiting, but a couple of mouthfuls can raise salt levels in the brain and cause seizures or even death….When we see serious poisoning, it is almost always dogs, and it is almost always when the dog has chewed through the bag.”

The Wall Street Journal Recently Published an Article on Deicers and Pet Safety Entitled: “The Safest Ice Melt Products for Your Pet in the Snow.”

AWSJarticle, by Laura Johannes, states: “Ice-melt crystals, ubiquitous in winter, can be toxic if ingested by pets and can cause severe irritation to paws.

To protect your dog on winter walks, veterinarians recommend covering paws with booties and wiping them off with a wet cloth as soon as you get back into the house. It is also important to make sure your dog has access to water if it may have ingested ice melt, veterinarians say, as harm is more likely if a dog is dehydrated.”

The Wall Street Journal article further states: “The small amount a dog might lick off its paws won’t cause more than drooling or vomiting, but a couple of mouthfuls can raise salt levels in the brain and cause seizures or even death, says Ahna Brutlag, associate director of veterinary services and senior veterinary toxicologist at Pet Poison Helpline, affiliated with the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “When we see serious poisoning, it is almost always dogs, and it is almost always when the dog has chewed through the bag,” she says.”

The Duke Company offers a variety of snow/ice removal solutions (in bulk, bag or pallet) that are friendlier to your pet(s) than rock salt or ice melts (containing calcium chloride). We are known for our A+ customer service and provide fast delivery throughout New York as well as surrounding states. Still have questions, call us for our expert advice.

Very insightful WSJ article – ‘WSJ – U.S. Construction Shifts Into Second Tier’ by journalist Eliot Brown. The article highlights that the construction recovery is evening out across the United States, and that more cities are seeing substantial construction progress for commercial building, apartment buildings and hotels in New York, Boston, San Francisco and beyond.

Source: Wall Street Journal and American Institute of Architects

The article makes reference to the Architecture Billings Index which “rose in July to the highest point since before the downturn. The index registered a score of 55.8 in July, up from its average of 51.3 over the previous 12 months and the highest score since July 2007. A score of above 50 means billings for design firms rose over the prior month, while below 50 means workloads fell.” By comparison, at the peak of the construction boom several years ago, the ABI was noted to be in the high 50s in the 2007 time period.

Non-residential construction spending continues to increase, rising to “an annual rate of $330 billion in June, up from $296 billion in June 2013, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures.” Notably, office building spending increased “in June was 20.7% over June 2013, rising to an annual rate of $37 billion, its highest level in five years.”

Duke Company is proud to support our construction customers in Rochester NY, Ithaca NY, Buffalo NY and through-out Western New York. We have proudly earned a reputation as a one-stop shop for professional grade Construction Materials and a range of the best brand name equipment rental and Tool Rental machines. Call 585-292-9870 (Rochester NY) and 607-347-4455 (Ithaca NY) for customer service that you can build on!

To read the full article on the Wall Street Journal web site, click here.